Apparatus for coating cores or strands



July 20, 1937 G. wElss APPARATUS FOR COATING CORES OR STRANDS Filed Nov. 19, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet l Geok e //@/55 III/l III III III [ll/ll I/ I4 III I Ill/l July 20, 1937 wE 2,087,711

APPARATUS FOR COATING CORES OR STRANDS Filed Nov. 19, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Geo/ e W/SS July 20, 1937 G. WEISS APPARATUS FOR COATING CORES OR STRANDS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 19, 1931 in: ii :1

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gmentoz' Ge 0kg a We ATS Patented July 20, 1937 APPARATUS FOR COATING CORES R STRANDS George Weiss,

Des Plaines,

Ill., assignor to Standard Cap and Seal Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Virginia Application November 19, 1931, Serial No. 576,037 Claims. (01. 91-59.1)

My invention relates to a means and apparatus for coating a core or a strand with a fiuxible material and particularly to the apparatus for producing articles covered with a thin and uniform coating of another material.

"The invention contemplates the provision of means and apparatus for coating articles with a metallic coating in which the metallic coating is so finely distributed that an even and uniform article is produced. I p

The invention further embraces an improved apparatus for materially increasing the speed at which the metallic coatings are applied to cores and the inclusion of means for applying a coating which is thin and which is evenly distributed.

The invention .also contemplates the provision of means whereby the rate of speed at which the cooling of the metallic coating applied to the core is materially increased without affecting the bond between the core and the coating material, and thus increasing the rate at which the finished article is produced. The apparatus of my invention being of particular service in coating a core or strand preferably fine wire with fiuxible material, such as solder, for use in holding the skirts of closure caps upon the-necks of milk bottles, though the invention is not to be thus limited.

Wire coated by means of the apparatus of my invention is well adapted for use in a machine for tightly wrapping coated wire about the closure caps of milk bottles and for fluxing the coating of the lapping ends of the applied wire to hold these ends together, an electric current being passed through'the wire, causingthe lapped ends of coated wire to fuse together to form a band or .ring that holds the cap skirts upon the bottle, the coating being sufiiciently smooth and free from dross to permit a good fiuxing operation and insure circuit terminals having a good contact with the coating. 7

The apparatus of my invention is inclusive of a receptacle containing a bath of molten fiuxible material such as solder and a guiding structure,

through which the wire is passed, serving to remove the dross and define the thickness of the tacle I and melt its contents.

and are immersed in the molten material.

coating, also a means of cooling and applying an connection with the accompanying drawings in,

which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating the preferred embodiments .of my invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1;

' wire material which is to be coated upon the wire that is fed by reel 2 through-the molten-material.

Said receptacle to be passed downwardly through the opening in top of furnace or heating unit 3 through a side of which a gas nozzle 4 is passed, the gas being admitted and ignited to heat recep- Two brackets -5 are secured to one side of furnace 3, each bracket having one end of arm 6 in pivotal connection,

the two arms being connected at the other end by shaft 1. The two arms 6 are further stiffened by strut 8 and are adjusted to their various positions by post 9, which. is screwed into support block l0, post 9 being in engagement with one of the arms '6.

The primary guiding is done by sheaves l I, the number of, which is dependent upon the number of wires being coated simultaneously. These sheaves are mounted and turn about on shaft .1 The wire I2 is supplied from reels 2 and is passed through the molten material by the aforesaid sheaves,,which are hollow and are preferably of V-shaped cross section. The guiding structure consists of a member l3 to remove. the dross'from the wire and the porcelain conduit l4 held in block [5 to keep the dross from the wire as it leaves the molten material. Each wire strand has a conduit I4 whose bore through which it passes is slightly larger than the wire itself. This conduit is locatedslightly above the level 'of the molten material and as the dross collects on the surface of the aforesaid material the wire leaves its bath free from, all foreign matter. The bore in the porcelain conduit l4 also serves to smooth out and define ,thelthickness of the coating on the The member I 5 has a number of U-shaped slots equal to the number of wires being coated which serves to scrape ofi any dross that might have accumulated on the wire at its entrance into the molten material. T

The oil filming tank 11 and oil cooling tank I8 are suitably mounted on furnace 3. The wire I2 passes over idler sheave l9 which is covered by a film of oil due to adhesion, and is then,

Wound upon a suitably driven reel (not shown).

The oil on the sheave acts as a cooling agentlg to wire l2 and at the same time creates a protective oil film about the wire. The excess oil on the wires |2 drips off onto tray 20 which slopes downward toward cooling tank I8 and is fastened to plate 2| by means of screws. Tray 28 and plate 2| are fastened to support 22 by means of bolts and nuts and is adjustable to its proper position through slot 23 in plate 2|. Tank I8 is separated into two compartments by baiile 24 the lower edge of which is slightly above the bottom of the tank, thus the oil level iskept equal in the two compartments. As the oil dripping from the wires is hot a means for cooling is necessary so a cooling unit or coil 25 is placed in the large compartment in tank l8. This consists of a piece of tubing of copper or any other suitable material wound to take the shape or form of a coil, the ends of which are fastened to the inlet and outlet connections. Water or any other suitable cooling medium is then sent through the coil entering at inlet connection 26 passing upward through the coil and leaving the tank through outlet connection 21. The volume of water passing into the coil may be controlled by a valve-such as 29 as the volume of water passing therethroughwill greatly affect the temperature. In order to cool and replenish the supply of oil in tank I! the oil that is carried by the wires is drained by the tray 20 into the small compartment in tank 18 raising the level of the oil which then flows through trough 28 into tank H, the coil 25 keepingjthe oil in tank I8 at all times at the proper temperature.

Another embodiment of oil cooling tank has been illustrated in'Figures 5 and 6, wherein a tank 30 suitably supports a coil 3| provided with an intake connection 32 having a control valve 45 connected thereto, and an outlet connection 33. I have provided a displacement tank 35 substantially centrally of cooling coil 3| which may be suitably supported or carried by the outlet lead 34 of the coil. As it is desirable to minimize the time required toreduce the temperature of'the oil returned to tank 30, the bailles 36 and 3! have been provided, forming compartments 38 and 39, each adapted to receive substantially half of the oil which drainsfrom tray 40. One end of tray 40 has been formed with a lip portion 4| and an extended lip portion 42, so that the oil on tray 48 flows to compartment 38 over lip 4| and to compartment 39 over lip 42. The lower extremity of baflie 31 has been turned inwardly to direct the flow of oil from compartment 38 to one portion of the cooling coil 3|, while a plate 43 has been secured to the lower inturned ex-' tremity of bafile 36, which plate is also connected to the displacement tank 35, and to the tank 30 to direct the oil in compartment 39 to another portion of coil 3|. Thus it will be noted that the oil returned to the compartments 38 and 39 is directed to opposite sides of the tank 30 and is cooled by contact with different portions of coil 3|. It will also be noted that the space around the coil 3| is small so that the quantity of oil being cooled is confined to the cooling coil and thus a minimum of time is required to cool the oil to a desirable temperature;

It is apparent that, within the scope of the invention modifications and" difierent arrangements may be made other than isherein disclosed, and the present disclosure is illustrative merely, the invention comprehending all variations thereof.

What I claim is:--

1. In a. core coating mechanism including means for holding coating material, means for guiding a core through said coating material and means to govern the thickness of the coated core, the combination of a chamber; means having a film of fluid thereon associated with said chamber adapted to envelop said core with fluid; a second chamber having means therein to vary the temperature of fluid; means to supply fluid from said second chamber to said first chamber; and means for regulating the amount of fluid remaining on said coated core and transferring fluid to said second chamber.

2. In a core coating mechanism including means for holding coating material, means for guiding a core through said coating material and means to govern the thickness of the coated core, the combination of a chamber; means having a film of fluid thereon associated with said chamber adapted to envelop said core with fluid;-.a second chamber having a cooling coil therein to cool fluid;-means to supply cooled fluid from said second chamber to said first chamber; and means for regulating the amount of fluid remaining on said coated core and transferring fluid to be cooled to said second chamber.

3. In a machine for coating 2. core including a support; a receptacle for a coating bath carried by said support; core feeding means; means for guiding a. core through said coating bath; means for regulating the thickness of the coated core; a chamber adapted to contain fluid; means for applying a. fllm of fluid to said coated core including a member partially immersed in the' fluid in said chamber and adapted to contact with said core; a second chamber having means therein to vary the temperature of the fluid; means to supply fluid from said second chamber to said first chamber; and means for regulating the amount of fluid remaining on said coated core and transferring fluid to said second chamber.

4. In a machine for coating a core including a receptacle for a coating bath; core feeding means; means for guiding a core through said coating bath; means for regulating the thickness of the coated core; a chamber adapted to contain fluid; means for applying a film of fluid to said coated core including a. member partially immersed in the fluid in said chamber and adapted to contact with said core; a second chamber having a coil and a displacement member therein to confine fluid adjacent the coil to vary the temperature of the fluid; means to supply fluid from said second chamber to said first chamber; and means for regulating the amount of fluid remaining on said coated core and'transierring fluid to said second chamber.

5. In a machine for coating and cooling a. core, the combination of means to coat said core; means to coolsaid coated core by applying- 

